Breakable golf club



p 14, 1965 s. H. MOLOUGHLIN 3,205,205

' BREAKABLE GOLF CLUB Filed May 13, 1965 United States Patent 3,206,205 BREAKABLE GOLF CLUB George H. McLoughlin, 1101 Meade Ave., Scranton, Pa. Filed May 13, 1963, Ser. No. 280,161 4 Claims. (Cl. 27380) This invention relates to clubs used in the game of golf.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a novelty breakable golf club which can be given as a gift or used for advertising products such as golf clubs and equipment. This breakable club can also be used as a regular golf club to play golf with, its construction is rigid and dependable. It is especially adaptable to golf putters.

A golfer would find the use of this club a cheap way to express his pent up feelings after missing the hole. thereby helping him to regain his composure and increase his chances of making a better score.

The objects of this invention are as follows:

(1) The club can be broken any number of times without destroying it.

(2) After breaking, the club can be restored to useful condition in a few minutes, ready for another play and another break when desired.

(3) The rod feed method eliminates the need to carry spare parts.

(4) The cost of replacing the wood rod is very small since standard wood dowels can be used and purchased in any lumber yard.

(5) When no rod is available the club can still be used as an ordinary club and can still be broken, without the sound of splintering wood however.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a shortened view of the club with the coupling socket cut away to show the threaded socket and plug.

FIG. 2 is a shortened and sectioned view of a club modification using a wood rod to create a cracking noise when broken. A broad round thread is shown.

FIGURE 3 is an outside view of the breakable shaft coupling used in FIG. 1, showing the splits which permit the socket to spread to help the pull apart action. The splits are distributed around the perimeter of the socket. The same type coupling is used in the modification of FIG. 2.

The invention works as follows:

The breakable club of FIG. 1 consists of two sections, a handle section 2 comprising a hand grip 1 and upper shaft 3, and a head section 8 comprising the club head and lower shaft 9. The handle and head sections being connected by the breakable shaft coupling 24 comprising a female threaded socket 4 and a male threaded plug 7.

The upper shaft 3 has atfixed on one end the hand grip 1 of rubber or other material. On the other end is firmly affixed a threaded female socket 4, the socket wall is split 23 lengthwise in a number of places. The multiple splits 23 give the socket flexibility and permit the socket thread 5 to spread and spring back to its original shape without damaging the threads.

The lower shaft 9 has afiixed on one end the club head 10. On the other end is firmly attached a threaded male plug 7. The socket 4 and plug 7 are shown using broad V threads.

The threads 5 and 6 of the plug 7 and socket 4 are a broad, round or blunted design. Threads of this type are less likely to sustain damage due to the continuous parting and friction, the result is longer life for the club. Other thread designs could be used however. A broad thread will hold tightly and still separate easily when moderate force is applied.

When the club is assembled, the plug 7 screws tightly 3,206,205 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 into the socket 4. The assembly now provides a rigid shaft for actually playing golf.

To break the club, the head section 8 is grasped in one hand and the handle section 2 is grasped by the other hand. The middle of the club is then struck sharply again the golfers leg. When sufficient force is used, the threads 5 and 6 will pull apart, separating the club into two parts.

To re-assemble, the coupling 24 is simply screwed together tightly.

The modification of FIG. 2 uses a fragile rod 13 to give the sound of splintering wood. This modification is constructed similarly and works the same as the FIG. 1 non rod type, except for structural differences to accommodate a fragile rod.

The rubber hand grip 11 partly covers a substantially hollow handle section 12 and upper shaft 14. The rod spans the coupling 24 through hole 16 extending through the entire length of the socket 15, and hole 20, being stopped by the limiting stop 22.

A flexible rod grip 17 of rubber or other material and having a hole in its center to receive the fragile rod 13 is aflixed to the inside of the threaded socket 15. The grip 17 prevents the rod 13 from falling out when the two sections are separated.

The male threaded plug 21 is shown using round threads 19. The female threaded socket 15 also has matching round threads 18. It is to be understood however that both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 models could utilize any other type of suitable thread.

When the FIG. 2 club is broken, the rod 13 also breaks into two parts. To re-assemble, the rod 13 now having a short piece broken 013? is advanced a sufiicient distance to strike the limiting stop 22 in the hole 20 when assembled. A long narrow object pushed into the hand grip 11 will help to push the rod out. The depth of the hole 20 is suflicient to accommodate a workable length of rod for breaking. The coupling 24 is then screwed together, the short broken piece of rod having been discarded. The mechanism described constitutes a rod feed device which permits numerous breaks without the need of inserting spare rods after each break.

In the FIG. 2 modification the club can also be used without a rod and works the same as the FIG. 1 club.

I claim:

1. A breakable golf club shaft constructed to break in a pre-determined place, comprising a plurality of sections, a hand grip equipped shaft handle section and a club head equipped shaft head section, .and a breakable shaft coupling firmly affixed to said shaft between the said handle section and said head section, said coupling consisting of a female threaded socket fixedly secured to one section of said shaft and a male threaded plug fixedly secured to the other section of said shaft and designed to engage each other, said coupling being provided with means to permit said socket and plug to separate readily, allowing said coupling to pull apart without unscrewing said socket and plug.

2. A breakable golf club shaft constructed to break in a pre-determined place, comprising a plurality of sections, a hand grip equipped shaft handle section and a club head equipped shaft head section, and a breakable shaft coupling firmly aflixed to said shaft between the said handle section and said head section, said coupling consisting of a female threaded socket fixedly secured to one section of said shaft and a male threaded plug fixedly secured to the other section of said shaft and designed to engage each other, said female socket being provided with multiple splits extending through its threaded area to permit spreading, allowing said coupling to pull apart without unscrewing said socket and plug.

3. A breakable golf club shaft constructed to break in a pre-determined place, comprisinga'plurality of'sections, a hollow hand grip equipped shaft handle section and a club head equipped shaft head section, a breakable shaft coupling firmly afiixed to said shaftbetween said handle section and said head section, said coupling consisting of two parts, a female threaded socket fixedly secured to one section of said shaft and a male threaded plug fixedly secured to the other section of said shaft and designed to engage each other, said coupling being provided with 1 means to permit said socket and plug to separate readily, allowing said coupling to pull apart without unscrewing said socket and plug, one part of said coupling having a hole through its entire length and being coaxially aligned with the said shaft, a flexible rod grip afiixed inside said coupling and having a hole coaxially aligned with the club shaft and tightly secured to prevent its falling out, and a fragile rod enclosed by said club shaft and by said coupling when said coupling is assembled, said rod being firmly and slidably held by said rod grip, said fragile rod being breakable when said coupling is broken.

4. A breakable golf club shaft constructed to break in a pre-determined place, comprising a plurality of sections, a hollow hand grip equipped shaft handle section and a club head equipped shaft head section, and a breakable shaft coupling firmly aflixed to said shaft between the said handle section and said head section, said coupling 4 consisting of a female threaded socket fixedly secured t one section of said shaft and a male threaded plug fixedly secured to the other section of said shaft and designed to engage each other, said female socket being provided with multiple splits extending through its threaded area to permit spreading, allowing said coupling to pull apart without unscrewing said socket and plug, a flexible rod grip aflixed inside said coupling, and a fragile rod enclosed by said shaft and by said coupling when said coupling is assembled, said rod being firmly and slidably held by said rod grip, said rod spanning both sections of said shaft through the coupling means and being limited in its advance by a limiting stop portion of one section of the shaft, said limiting stop being sufiiciently located in depth to permit a workable piece of the rod to be broken off, leaving enough rod length to be advanced, said rod being slidably positioned within said shaft and coupling means to be readily advanced as required, said fragile rod being breakable when said coupling is broken.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BREAKABLE GOLF CLUB SHAFT CONDTRUCTED TO BREAK IN A PRE-DETERMINED PLACE, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS, A HAND GRIP EQUIPPED SHAFT HANDLE SECTION AND A CLUB HEAD EQUIPPED SHAFT HEAD SECTION, AND A BREAKABLE SHAFT COUPLING FIRMLY AFFIXED TO SAID SHAFT BETWEEN THE SAID HANDLE SECTION AND SAID HEAD SECTION, SAID COUPLING CONSISTING OF A FEMALE THREADED SOCKET FIXEDLY SECURED TO ONE SECTION OF SAID SHAFT AND A MALE THREADED PLUG FIXEDLY SECURED TO THE OTHER SECTION OF SAID SHAFT AND DESIGNED TO ENGAGE EACH OTHER, SAID COUPLING BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS TO PERMIT SAID SOCKET AND PLUG TO SEPARATE READILY, ALLOWING SAID COUUPLING TO PULL APART WITHOIUT UNSCREWING SAID SOCKET AND PLUG. 